


Keep it a secret

by TQnowords



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22698871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TQnowords/pseuds/TQnowords
Summary: Mako meets a cute man, everything should be perfect. If only youmas hadn't returned....
Relationships: Kino Makoto/Nephrite
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8
Collections: Senshi x Shitennou Holiday 2020 Gift Exchange





	Keep it a secret

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NelwynP](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NelwynP/gifts).



It was a joke of fate meeting in one of the most lazy days of the winter: the sun hid behind motionless gray clouds for wind itself was sleeping and leaves hangedo dark twigs almost as if posing for a portrait. People on the street followed nature's attitude, all of them were dragging their feet and yawning constantly as they fought sleepy eyes and tired muscles. They made a sorrowful image.

Makoto Kino, or Mako for her friends, was another sleep deprived zombie, hugging her jacket and thinking only about her warm bed as she dozed off. She couldn't even muster strength to curse the deamon that forced her to wake up early that Sunday.

"Young..Dy..lady….young lady!" 

She blinked a little before her brain finally noticed someone had janked her arm. She spun, fist raised and face filled with the fury of any person deprived of sleep ready to smash someone's face.

There, the culprit was, raising both hands in appeasement even if his features were steeled with the strong lines of a soldier. Smart hazel eyes seized her up for a brief second before becoming less dangerous. In a blink, those eyes became bigger and shined with an unshameful force capable of waking up a sea of butterflies inside Mako's stomach at the same time that every rational thought slipped her mind. He was handsome beyond reason and that was the only clear thing at the moment.

Wind brushed softly their brown curly hairs and the birds started to shirp. She was too busy staring at him to realize the shift in the environment. 

Men with long hair, strong chins and wide frames were a terrible weakness to have if anyone faced that man. And Mako herself was the first to admit she already had a terrible flaw that made her moon over less appealing men. Her defeat was a foretold conclusion.

"This is yours" he said in a smooth, deep and alluring voice, shaped as a caresse just for her. Mako's fist fell to her side. He was dangerously handsome, and probably taken.

The butterflies went to a dark pit, weighting down her body and wind stilled once again.

"Mako Kino, is it?" he read the engraved name on the item "A fitting name for a beautiful lady" 

"Well, I…." Mako nodded and extended her hand, ready to take her handkerchief as fast as possible "Thanks" 

"Are you busy, Miss Kino?" he asked cheerfully, as if he was an old friend meeting her again.

"Today is my day off. All Sundays are my days off" she offered quickly. She winced at her own bluntness.

Luckily, he was as candid as her.

"Would you mind if I invite you a coffee, at this moment?" 

"It will be a pleasure….ehm…"

"Masato Sanjoin" 

She repeated the name, a new found happiness at each syllable, but when she started to walk along him, just a feet of distance between their shoulders, she felt wrongness in the name and her mind went to every memory trying to find the correct name for his face without success.

Masato was a gentleman, he opened the door for her, pulled out the chair so she could sit in front of him and was polite to the staff...but, he was extremely cautious too, scanning the place just one steep in, searching all the doors and exits with sharp eyes, not overly paranoid but in the way that Mina did sometimes. A bodyguard without a charge.

Unless he somehow believed Mako was in danger at the coffee his attitude was off. She checked behind her, seeking whatever unknown danger had her new crush on edge.

"Any problem, Miss Kino?" 

"Nothing. Call me Mako, please. Miss Kino sounds too formal and like I'm an old woman, you know?" She shrugged and waited for his answer.

"Mako will be then" he smirked and she imitated the gesture, sharing a nameless feeling as their eyes crossed paths "Do you work near here?"

"Not really, I work at Juban's bakery. The best bread of the whole city. You know?...What about you, Masato, where do you work?" 

"I'm manager at an IT agency. Golden Net" 

"You don't strike me as the manager type" she said thoughtless and winced immediately.

He chuckled at her distress and nodded "Can't say I disagree. But it allows me to travel, and meet new people" his eyes were set to another time, a distant memory full of joy and then, out of nowhere, he became somber before looking at her and winning back shine again "For example you" 

Well, if she wasn't gone before, after those words she was ready to throw the towel because that was a direct hit. No, she could still do it.

She put her elbows on the table and leaned forward, upping her game.

"I agree. Tell me more about…." Her communicator decided to bip and she sighed in defeat. There went her predestined meeting, ruined by the second monster of the day. She searched for the communicator and checked the coordinates before giving Masato an apologetic look "Sorry, duty calls"

"I understand" his smile didn't falter but she knew how things might come across and how it was going to end.

"I get out of work at 7 pm" 

If he was interested, he knew when and where to find her. If he wasn't, well, she would deal with the emotional hurt another day. 

Physical hurt arrived half an hour later, when a youma throw a plank against her. Luck definitely had decided to run off because she got splinters all over her arm. Sailor Mercury jumped at her side and checked her over, opposite to them, Venus and Moon had everything under control and the youma's seconds were counted.

"You are distracted" Mercury observed, eyebrows raised in worry "Your mind was somewhere" 

"More like in someone" Mako grinned unashamed, the youma shriek was enough to realize battle was over and she was too happy about Masato to not share. Mercury's eyes hardened and Mako gulped before laughing. Suddenly, she didn't feel like sharing anymore.

"Mercury, was that a youma?" Sailor Moon walked slowly towards them, a part of her face still facing the ashes left by the monster "Why was there a youma? We got rid of the Dark Kingdom six years ago, didn't we?" 

"Calm down" Jupiter stood up and patted her friend "This is like the daimons, they appear after being triggered every other day, like the one in the morning. This youma was just hiding all this time. So, nope, no Dark Kingdom at sight" 

"I agree. The Dark Kingdom is gone, otherwise Artemis would have picked something. Or Mars, she would be back from Osaka in a blink" Venus said kindly "And if the Dark Kingdom were back, we are stronger than last time. They are like level 3 enemies and we are 50" 

"It hurt Mako!" Sailor Moon pointed out and Mako grunted. She was thinking about a handsome man and now her punishment would be trying to calm down her anxious friend.

"She got distracted" Mercury mentioned with an edge of disappointment "Her mind was in _someone_ " 

"What! Tell! Tell!" Sailor Moon and Venus said in unison, both forgetting everything about the youma and Dark Kingdom "Who is he?! Does he have a name? Tell! Tell!" 

"Oh, you wanna know?" Mako asked smugly and both women nodded fastly, she smirked "Se-cret"

Both cried out but Mako didn't budge, he was her secret for the time being and she enjoyed it. And deep down, bells warned her that she was wrong again.

The next day, in the evening, after closing the store's door, the street was quiet and only she was there, waiting as every other time, for someone to show with a bouquet of red roses and a promise. The cold night freezed her lungs and hope faded away little by little with every passing second.

She smiled to herself. Every guy she liked, or was taken or was an enemy in disguise, and as Masato was neither, it was fate he would forget her...

"Sweet bakery ladies shouldn't make such sad faces" 

That was kind of corny, the stuff that she might expect from Tuxedo Mask, and it worked as a charm. All her gloominess was pushed by elation and she turned to face Masato. His casual wardrobe was sweaty, and he had a chocolate box under his armpit. 

"Were you waiting too long?" he watched the empty street and then to Makoto "My car broke up and I had to sprint seven blocks. I hope these chocolates can serve to win your forgiveness"

"Haha! Don't worry, I just closed and it isn't like I had anything better than wait for a handsome man" 

"Not only beautiful, but quite honest and with perfect vision" he laughed with humor and offered her his arm "Let's walk, there's a restaurant nearby" 

She accepted his offer. Probably they had jumped two or three steps in their relationship. Unless she was misjudging and it was only a fling on his end. 

"There're row boats in a park near here" he said to her after walking a little.

"Oh, have you been there?" 

"I was scouting the place for a work years ago, it will be better to visit with company this time"

"Aren't you a programmer or something like that?" Mako asked, confused about how his work required to investigate a park. Masato stalled, sighed and Mako hoped it wasn't a bad sign.

"I used to have another work. My employer got mad if we didn't fill up the quota of ener-information... So, I was always moving from one place to another in this city, can't say I'm proud about that work" 

"Oh" she managed to say, it obviously bothered him and she wondered how such a strong men could get wrapped in a job he disliked. Maybe he had bad companies and was as lost as Mako had been before meeting Usagi. 

Masato's aura had changed after remembering his old work and his gloominess was almost painful.

"I used to be a problem child, skipping classes, drinking...even smoking. I'm not proud about that, but I changed and then I met someone who made me realize I should be the happiest I could be, even if I made mistakes" 

"Someone?" his nose wrinkled and he almost pouted. The expression was familiar to her soul and she felt a shiver on her spine along the desire to clear things up.

"Yes, my best friend, Usagi. She's a sweetheart, kind and lovely. You can't meet someone as forgiving and full of love as her" and how Usagi cared about everyone, even enemies. It was her greatest virtue and a tragedy on itself.

"Usagi, a girl. Of course" he tapped his forehead and his shoulders began to shake as laughter invaded him. She joined him, amused by everything. He was utterly perfect, it was blissful joy that carried over her dreams that night.

In them, he was dressed in elegant white clothes, the gold embroidery making flowy shapes that she traced with callous fingers. He was a nobleman, she knew, and this meeting was forbidden for both belonged to different worlds. She wanted to ask him about his work and homeland but instead, she kissed his mouth before he could think about mouthing his own questions. And when the Moon's castle crumbled, she heard herself speaking about him.

She woke up with the words dancing gingerly in her mind, all talking about a secret from another life, but she had long ago forgotten the language.

For a whole month, he was always present in her life both in her day and nighttime

He waited for her, they hanged out, shared kisses and caresses, an unspoken promise of a next time. And she dreamed of a past that belonged to her even before being born. 

On the other hand, meeting with the girls was almost impossible. Between their different work-shifts and her new relationship, the only times they saw each other was when youmas crawled out from unseen holes and brought chaos with their arrival. After the five youma in a row, as it was required, a scout gathering was called and all five girls and the two cats started to share their thoughts about the old enemy's return.

"Six youmas since last month. The Dark Kingdom is back!" Usagi said as she steadied her hands on her knees "Why?"

"In reality, the one ten days ago was a Deamon, so only five youmas" , taking just some seconds off her laptop, Amy clarified "But this is odd...they aren't gathering energy, just causing mayhem" 

"Gather energy?" Mako repeated "Ah, yeah, after I joined the team you commented the Dark Kingdom did that. But when I arrived youmas weren't sucking energy anymore" 

"Kunzite and Zoicite were too straightforward to take energy from victims. They preferred lackies" Raye said seriously "Nephrite and Jadeite, those were gathering energy always. Jadeite with all those new business and Nephrite singling out people without apparent reason"

"Then it's good they are gone" Mina mused, aware that her cynism was sometimes seen as problematic. On cue, Usagi jumped in defense of her deceased enemies.

"But they were brainwashed by Metallia! And Nephrite was a good guy, he saved Naru! Remember girls!!"

"We aren't sure they were brainwashed" Amy pointed out sharply and softened immediately after crossing eyes with Usagi "But Nephrite did rescue Naru and all, so perhaps he was good. I'm sorry, I haven't thought about it, or them, in a while"

"Whaou, a villian saved Naru, really? Why?" Mako asked in surprise. 

"Molly was kind of in love with him" Usagi said through gritted teeth, wincing as the memory passed her mind "It was weird, but Nephrite liked her and then he saved her"

"Not before manipulating her. He charmed her using an alias, Masato Sanjoin, and took her energy! Not only her energy! He attacked the gardener of the park and your brother's friend too. He only turned 'good' at the very last moment, but he hurt so many innocent people before" 

"Calm down, Amy, haha, you really hated that guy, didn't you?" 

"Mina, it isn't funny! This is serious! Agh! Ehm, Mako! Hello! Hey!" 

Mako blinked and finally faced the confused Raye, every word said by her friends shaping the puzzle in her head of what she already knew "I need to go"

Mako strolled the streets, aware of her destination even as her mind was a muddle of ideas and half conclusions. She needed to make a choice but not before seeing him.

She knocked three times the apartment's door and waited for him to answer. All of her perfectly calm until he opened the door.

His hair was disheveled and his perfect face full of concern. It was just like in her dreams from her life as Jupiter.

"Mako, are you fine? Did something happen?"

She raised her face, gritted her teeth and when her eyes crossed his, her lips started to shake. She was right all along, he was her weakness. 

In one step, she was on his arms, resting her head against his strong chest, smelling his manly aroma in a useless attempt to forget everything but his body. He held her and kissed her crown, her forehead, her sour cheek and she raised his hands to her lips.

The sheets were soft and smelt like him, overwhelming her senses for a brief second. Long enough for him to remove her panties. Goosebumps recorred all her skin from the point where his fingers touched her. In the darkness of the room, she was only able to see his naked shoulders and, called by them, she raised her arms and her mouth asked for him, ignoring the guilt building on the back of her mind. 

Just the two of them, and no monsters or loyalties between. This was hers, only hers.

"I love you" she whispered as her breath ragged "Oh I love you!" Nephrite, Masato, whatever was his name, he felt too good and perfect and she was just a woman.

He giggled, out of every sound she expected out of him, that wasn't included, and then his mouth went to her breast, to her collarbone and ended up on her ear "I love you too!! Ah! Mako!" 

His face was obscured, but she still felt his tears fall on her shoulder before extasis arrived and all coherent thought was lost. 

As she drifted to sleep, she dreamt about a forbidden meeting, both people secretive about who they were as they changed kisses over damp grass, the white Moon judging from above the sky. Things hadn't changed, his arm over her or the secrets carried from a life long gone. It should be a nightmare, but he was there, at her side, so, it was the sweetest dream. And it was hers to keep.


End file.
